Clarisa was standing in a corner looking on as the party was unfolding, anticipating the start of the music for the last dance. The girls were back now after singing at the meeting room and they were discussing how embarrassing it was. When the final music came on the mood changed. It was time to party one last time and there was live music... Everyone put away their differences and were happy to pick partners to dance with even though the boys with their immature attitude didnt deserve no last dance.

Clarissa watched Vincenzo from far who was standing in the far corner opposite her looking directly at her. Clarissa felt strange. Vincenzo had a girlfriend so Clarissa was not meant to feel nervous about the prospect of dancing with Vincenzo who was taken. This was just a dance she had promised after losing in bowling as part of her team. It didnt mean anything more. She kept telling herself that... But of course she knew it was not true, no matter how hard she tried to deny it.

Clarissa was certain, this dance meant more to Vincenzo than just a dance as he could make her do anything else to embaress her but he hadn't. Vincenzo always got a kick out of people's misery. If he wanted her to feel msierable, he would have asked her to dance with a boy she hated. But he hadn't. This arrangement was the kind of request Clarissa was more likely to demand from someone like Vincenzo if their positions were switched. If Vicnenzo had lost a bet, she would have asked him to dance. After all, Vincenzo hated dancing as he said, it was for softies and hippies. But dancing was indeed what Clarisa loved to do... Vincenzo knew that and yet he had asked her to dance with him as the consequence of losing a bet. Vincenzo made no sense and confused her sometimes.

Clarissa's mind were full of possible scenarios about why Vincenzo wanted to dance with her. Just then she found herself face to face with him. He gave her a smile "A bet is a bet... Are you going to honour it or you will ask your big brother to rescue you?"

Clarissa objected "Why would I need to ask my big brother to rescue me? Your question is not relevant..."

Vincenzo nodded "Are you sure about that little red?"

Something in his tone made her hesitate. His words had a deeper meaning. They always did. What did he mean by that?

Clarisa replied "I am not a little red and I surely dont look like one..."

Vincenzo spoke "If you wear the red cape I got you then you would look it perfectly..."

Clarissa retorted "I am going to burn that cape tonight if you dont stop teasing me...."

Vincenzo shook his head "Tsk, tsk... Dont threaten the wild wolf... Ever... My price may go up... I might force you to wear that cape while you dance with me.... But I am nice to you... So I only ask for a dance..."

Clarisa knew he was right... It was not wise to threaten Vincenzo to give him a heads up... Of course she was only joking and bluffing ... She actually was going to keep the cape as a reminder. She didnt believe in only keeping memories of her perfect moments... Life was imperfect... She wanted to remember Vincenzo's present... His present was offensive and the thought of what it meant brought chills down her spine... The thought of reminding herself, a big bad wolf was going to claim her one day, did make her nervous.... But this present came from Vincenzo's heart... She knew that this was rare to get a glimpse of displays of any kind of emotion from Vincenzo. Vincenzo didnt have to do anything or say anything if he didnt wish it... If he addressed you in any friendly way, you had to know, it was a rare occassion.

Clarissa gave Vincenzo a frustrated look "Who said I was threatening you?..." She then looked towards the dance floor "Lets get this over with... Shall we? Follow me..." She then walked away leading Vincenzo towards the dance floor. Of course he was walking slowly to frustrate her. She turned to him as they were walking "Can you walk any slower? You are doing this deliberately..."

Vincenzo nodded "Sure... Why would I rush? Its not like I have got to be anywhere else... I am trying to imagine you with a red cape as I walk... A wild wolf chasing the little red... This opportunity is way too entertaining and ironic to pass up... So I am taking my time..."

Clarissa sighed and shook her head as she notieced he walked even slower behind her and she could feel his eyes on her. She turned " You get a kick out of making people pay... You are enjoying this. Arent you?"

Vincenzo spoke "What do you think Terza? Do you have to ask?.... I set this bet for my benefit... Not yours."

Clarissa stopped walking in the middle of dance floor and turned around. She put her hands on Vincenzo's shoulders "What is wrong with you today?"

Vincenzo looked her up and down "There is nothing wrong with you... Thats for sure... "

Clarissa asked "Why? Thank you... Is this a compliment you just paid me or was it an insult? I can't quite tell..."

Vincenzo spoke " If you don't feel like slapping me then it's a compliment... Now answer me this ...You still can back out if you want.... Are you still doing this? It's not too late..."

Clarissa spoke "This is just a dance.. This is no big deal..." But this was a big deal because Vincenzo was doing something he hated and despised. Why did he have to volunteer for this?

Vincenzo spoke "Really? If you say its just a dance, then why are you shaking Terza? Relax. This big bad wolf wont do anything unless you ask him to..." He then winked.

Clarisa tried to ignore him " I am not shaking.... That is your imagination..."

Vincenzo carefully and slowly lifted his hands up and rested his hands on her waist. He stared into her eyes "Are you sure about this? You can wear the red cape instead... You don't have to dance if you don't want to..."

Clarissa sighed "I am not backing out... I need to see how the wild wolf can dance ... This is too good to miss..."

Vincenzo asked "Then why not embrace the spirit... Do you want to wear the cape while we dance? I can quickly stop the music and get it for you from your room... That would look perfect... Big bad wolf and little red.. Let's spice it up..."

Clarissa spoke "No... Why do you try to spice this dance up... This is just a dance..."

Vincenzo chuckled "Terza... Terza... You dont have the slightest idea of what is happening here... That is fine... Do you want to know what is going on in my mind right now?"

Clarissa spoke "Not really... I dont think I like to know what goes on in that mind of yours... Lets dance..."

Vincenzo retorted "This is not even a dance.. This is half a dance... The song is almost over..."

Clarissa spoke in a demanding tone "This is an extended version of the song... This music is at least fifteen minutes long because its the last dance... It would keep changing... So there is plenty of time... Lead the way... The male leads the dance in ballroom dancing. Take it away..." Part of her doubted he was capable of dancing.

Vincenzo smiled "With pleasure.." He then lead the dance. He moved so elegantly and skilfully that even Clarissa who was always scoring high in dance lessons, was finding it hard to keep up. Clarisa was surprised at how good he was. A male lead the ballroom dancing routine for himself and his partner. She shouldn't have doubted him. He was quite good with steps and leading her in the dance moves as he should have been as the male.

Clarisa admired Vincenzo. He was a perfect born leader... When he attempted anything, he made sure he nailed it.... She was always blown away by how perfect Vincenzo was in everything he did... He either didnt try something or when he did, he made sure he became an expert in the field.

After the ballroom routine, a slow tango song came on and to Clarissa's relief the song was slower and she could keep up with him.

As they were m slowly moving to the music in silence staring at each other, Clarissa asked " Can I ask you something?" She thought it was best to keep busy by talking. She didn't like how Vincenzo's penetrating stare made her feel self conscious. She felt abit nervous when he stared at her silently. Trying to imagine what went on in his mind was impossible. So she decided to make some conversation.

Vincenzo nodded " Ask away...  But you know how it is... Asking me a question does not always guarantee an answer ... But ask by all means..."

Clarissa really wanted to know why he wanted to dance with her.... But she knew how he worked. She was not even expecting an answer when she posed her question "Tell me why you didn't ask Cristina to dance with you... You could do that...... Why did you pass up the chance?"

Vincenzo's tone changed to serious "What makes you think I wanted to dance with Cristina? Niall promised to keep his hands where I can see, so I let them be. I do keep an eye on her but I didn't wish to dance with her tonight..."

Clarissa stopped moving to the song which made Vincenzo stop too. She tried to ask as politely as possible not to cause any misunderstanding as what she was asking was quite personal "Dont take this the wrong way... I am not even trying to offend you here... This is a serious question... Everyone knows you have something going on with Cristina... Something is there...You must know some say you want to ask Cristina out after what Letizia did... This dance was the perfect opportunity for you..."

Vincenzo spoke "Shall we carry on dancing? I want to dance before the night is over... I know this song is extra long,... But time is not something I waste..."

Clarissa was lucky she even got an answer... Cristina was a subject you couldn't ask about. Vincenzo was insanely protective of her and Clarissa didn't know why.

Clarissa slowly started moving to the music and spoke honestly " I thought you might leave and not answer so I stopped dancing..."

Vincenzo moved to the tango as he looked around " You thought wrong Terza... The wild wolf doesn't run away from the little red." He then carried on dancing silently as he stared back at her.

Clarissa didnt like how he kept her waiting... She needed to see his reaction... She needed answers... He was confusing her... Why was he doing what he was doing? Why was he in the middle of a dance floor... His place was in the middle of a boxing ring, not here. It was against his nature to stand in the middle of a dance floor. He was a wild beast that didn't belong there.

As they were dancing and slower steps, in the tango came, Clarissa asked "You didnt asnwer my question..."

Vincenzo spoke "I really dont have to answer your question... unless I wish it. But maybe I can do a trade... You answer a question and I answer one of yours... I have some burning questions..."

Clarissa retorted "Fine..."

Vincenzo spoke "Who was your first kiss?"

Clarissa was so shocked "What kind of burning question is this? I don't kiss teenage boys..."

Vincenzo chuckled " Of course. Little red is the traditional type of girl. I bet your first kiss will be at your wedding..."

Clarisa spoke " It will be my decision  when my first kiss is... Now answer my question..."

Vincenzo smiled " Come on little red. I thought I answered that question already... I don't lie to you... I said I didn't want to dance with her... She has another calling at the moment..."

Clarisa couldn't believe this " But she is your best friend. Your only friend who happened to be a girl you met before meeting Letizia ...."

Vincenzo sighed " You are asking the wrong questions little red...." He then turned to one of the guards nearby "Hey, you... Tell the music director to play this song extra long... I need to get my dance..." The guard nodded and walked away.

Vincenzo turned to Clarisa " You are looking for answers on why I want to dance with you. Right? So why do you ask me why I don't want to dance with others? Shouldn't you be asking me why I want to dance with you?"

His question made her shake. Something about the way he said the last sentence affected her deeply. She hated to think about what just happened but despite hating to admit it, Vincenzo had just made her feel like she was the only one in the room with him. She couldn't explain why she felt that way but she did.

Clarisa breathed " I don't think you will tell me even if I asked you directly. You say it yourself... You don't disclose anything unless you wish it..."

Vincenzo spoke in a lower tone as he whispered " Little red... There is no need to give up... Let's put it this way .... After this trip, I might not come back ... Dont you think I deserve to have a dance... I dance with you because I want to dance with you... Is that good enough reason?"

Clarisa couldn't make sense of this. Vincenzo was showing her a side of him that he didnt show anyone else. But Clarisa herself was also being too different with Vincenzo... Clarissa never would have said yes to anyone else in dancing ... She despised all the boys who were around her... She didnt trust them. But she trusted Vincenzo. He was a man of his word. Vincenzo was a special case. He was truthful but he chose to show his true intentions if he wished it. He was more secretive than anyone she knew.

What didnt make sense was why he had asked her to dance for a lost bet. He could ask for anything else and Vincenzo was quite imaginative...
But she knew this was more than just a dance. It was the first time she had seen Vincenzo so serious.

Just then Clarisa noticed her father at the entrance of the party room staring at her... She waved at her father and he waved back. But she couldn't help think her father's smile was sad.

Nothing had prepared Emanuelle O'Neil for the sight that had awaited him when he made his way to the party after his business meeting. It was late night and he rubbed his eyes as he looked into the party room thinking maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. Maybe he needed to have an early night after this party. Why were his eyes seeing his worst nightmare? Maybe he hadn't had enough drinks that day. That was it. He had been almost sober because, a party was taking place at his home on that Friday night. He wanted to be alert at the party so he hadn't drank as much Irish cream whiskey as he normally did. By the looks of it he had started seeing things that were his worst fears when he didn't have enough alcohol. He rubbed his eyes again as he was standing at the door watching his daughter dance with the last person he expected to see near his princess. He waved at his princess automatically as she waved at him. He needed a drink for sure.

Emanuelle walked to the bar in the room and poured himself some Irish cream whiskey .... He then turned to the dance floor again...  Why wasn't that beast disappearing out of his vision? Was this real? How could it be? Since when did Vincenzo dance? Since when did his princess like to dance with a demon that even Francesco couldn't control. Why wasn't he waking up from this nightmare? Was this real?

Sancia walked to him " Here you are drinking the night away without me .... Let's not miss the last dance... The music wouldn't last much longer.... Where have you been?"

Emanuelle responded sounding displeased " Where have I been? I should be asking you this honey... Where have you been while our daughter has been dancing with that crazy dragon?"

Sancia looked at the direction of the dance floor and then at her husband " Tristan did tell me about that... It's just a game... The kids were playing bowling earlier and our daughter was part of a losing team... So they are dancing for her lost bet... I have certainly taught our daughter how to handle boys ... She can deal with the beast for now when it's just a dance at stake.... So stop staring at the dance floor and come dance with me..." She then held her husband's hand in hers and lead him to the dance floor.

Sancia started dancing as Emanuelle moved reluctantly to the music. Emanuelle whispered to his wife " Sancia this is serious..."

Sancia spoke " So is this Emanuelle ... I need you to dance with me before this trip...."

Emanuelle sighed " Just like his old man, he can surprise you... Just when you think it's time for silence, you can see a storm coming."

Sancia turned to watch his daughter and Vincenzo " The young man sure has good timing... You can question him on the trip ..." She then turned to Emanuelle and leaned closer to him as she whispered "But I have raised a fighter ... Our daughter won't be intimidated by the beast...." She then kissed Emanuelle's lips.

Clarissa was watching her parents and then looked away as they kissed. " I can't watch this..."

Vincenzo chuckled at her reaction " At least your parents are not fighting... That's a good sign..."

They danced for a bit longer and then once the music stopped, Clarisa broke away from Vincenzo and he stepped away from her too. Clarisa spoke " Good night Vincenzo... Sleep well..." She then walked away.

Vincenzo stood where he was in the middle of the dance floor as others around him were dispersing. He whispered  " Good night .... Forget me not ...."